Will Princess sail if ship is partially booked?

[chengkp75]

2 hours ago, Ombud said:

@chengkp75perhaps but it might be better (PR wise) to sail partially full than cancel due to low occupancy 

 

1 hour ago, ontheweb said:

And in addition to the bad PR, there would have to be some extra compensation offered to the passengers who had their cruises cancelled.

Didn't say they wouldn't sail at low capacity, just that it isn't necessarily fiscally better to sail that way.

[Ombud]

2 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

 

Didn't say they wouldn't sail at low capacity, just that it isn't necessarily fiscally better to sail that way.

You're right. I'm still wondering if Alaska prices will drop as the categories are not selling out or if they will start offering upsells. 

[ontheweb]

2 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

 

Didn't say they wouldn't sail at low capacity, just that it isn't necessarily fiscally better to sail that way.

I would imagine that how low, how below full capacity, it is would also be a factor in the decision making. We have all heard how they have algorithms for maximizing revenue, but I wonder if they need a whole new set with the changed conditions brought about by the pandemic. 

[Sea Hag]

10 minutes ago, Ombud said:

You're right. I'm still wondering if Alaska prices will drop as the categories are not selling out or if they will start offering upsells. 

Could be on the price drops. I know that what shows on the website doesn't necessarily indicate how many cabins are sold, but for our 8/29 sailing I'm seeing an awful lot of available cabins. Final payment is this Wednesday, so they should be assigning guarantees soon. Then we'll see what happens.

[voljeep]

2 minutes ago, Ombud said:

You're right. I'm still wondering if Alaska prices will drop as the categories are not selling out or if they will start offering upsells. 

Our little 5 day cruise at the end of November doesn't seem to be selling much at all, at least as the rooms available showing on the website.  I'm fully aware that this is a short Caribbean cruise over the Thanksgiving holiday, but whole sections of balcony rooms over various floors are showing as available.  

[beg3yrs]

A former Princess HQ employee once told me that at about a week before an undersold ship sailing, the call would often go out to employees to fill the cabins with their only cost being on-board expenses. I don't know if the employees had to use vacation time to do so but I assume they would.

[chengkp75]

9 minutes ago, beg3yrs said:

A former Princess HQ employee once told me that at about a week before an undersold ship sailing, the call would often go out to employees to fill the cabins with their only cost being on-board expenses. I don't know if the employees to use vacation time to do so but I assume they would.

I took advantage of NCL's perk a few times, where the closer to sailing the employee discount was greater, until in the last week, you only paid taxes and fees.  Good for employee and family.

[nini]

1 hour ago, Ombud said:

You're right. I'm still wondering if Alaska prices will drop as the categories are not selling out or if they will start offering upsells. 

If they drop (really drop), then maybe we will grab one. DH may moan, as we have sailed Alaska four times); but the port is only a 2.5 hour drive. And it is a SAILING!

[ontheweb]

2 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

I took advantage of NCL's perk a few times, where the closer to sailing the employee discount was greater, until in the last week, you only paid taxes and fees.  Good for employee and family.

Were you one of those passengers that you hated?🤣

[chengkp75]

51 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

Were you one of those passengers that you hated?🤣

No, but my wife had to keep me from using the crew doors when I knew it was faster.  Became a topic of conversation one night when the Hotel Director found out who I was, and stopped by our dinner table to say hi.

[LACruiser88]

3 hours ago, beg3yrs said:

I don't know if the employees had to use vacation time to do so but I assume they would.

Yes, they have to use vacation time to cruise.  That is why many Princess employees do not cruise on longer sailings...

[ontheweb]

3 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

No, but my wife had to keep me from using the crew doors when I knew it was faster.  Became a topic of conversation one night when the Hotel Director found out who I was, and stopped by our dinner table to say hi.

Are you sure you want to reveal in a public forum that it is faster to use the crew doors then the normal ways passengers get around the ship?

[chengkp75]

12 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

Are you sure you want to reveal in a public forum that it is faster to use the crew doors then the normal ways passengers get around the ship?

Only if you know what is behind the doors.  Some doors will lead you to areas where you have to go up or down decks to get front to back, but some doors lead you to straighter paths than the general public can go.  And, anyway, if you want to get caught in crew areas, surveillance and security will be happy to show you the errors of your ways.  The cameras are there to keep the crew honest, not to protect the pax, so there are more in crew areas than pax areas.

[Roberto256]

13 hours ago, Ombud said:

@chengkp75perhaps but it might be better (PR wise) to sail partially full than cancel due to low occupancy 

 

Princess would say: "the cruise is cancelled for operational reasons".

 

No better or worse PR than the many other cruises that are cancelled the same way.

 

[Ombud]

Yknow how when you go on the Princess website you can list which ports you're willing to sail from 3 weeks - just a few days notice? I expect to see some of those emails (SF & LA) if needed

 

 

Okay here's the thing:: if I get a discount for a last minute cruise anywhere near the previous ones -- I'M THERE

 

 

Edited June 29, 2021 by Ombud
Reworded

[caribill]

9 hours ago, ontheweb said:

Are you sure you want to reveal in a public forum that it is faster to use the crew doors then the normal ways passengers get around the ship?

 

Many times it is quite easy for a passenger to recognize that it is the shortest path between two points.

 

I remember on one Princess ship to get to the tender area the passenger path was to walk from near the end of the hallway on my deck to the front stairway/elevators, go up one deck, walk all the way back to aft stairs/elevator to go down one deck.

 

The quick method was to open the "crew only" door next to my cabin and walk two feet.

[ontheweb]

4 hours ago, caribill said:

 

Many times it is quite easy for a passenger to recognize that it is the shortest path between two points.

 

I remember on one Princess ship to get to the tender area the passenger path was to walk from near the end of the hallway on my deck to the front stairway/elevators, go up one deck, walk all the way back to aft stairs/elevator to go down one deck.

 

The quick method was to open the "crew only" door next to my cabin and walk two feet.

So did you actually take that shortcut?

[caribill]

2 hours ago, ontheweb said:

So did you actually take that shortcut?

 

 

No.

 

Was tempted at the end of being on shore when hot and tired, knowing that I could be in my cabin in 15 seconds vs. two stairways and two longer walks.

[beg3yrs]

7 hours ago, caribill said:

 

Many times it is quite easy for a passenger to recognize that it is the shortest path between two points.

 

I remember on one Princess ship to get to the tender area the passenger path was to walk from near the end of the hallway on my deck to the front stairway/elevators, go up one deck, walk all the way back to aft stairs/elevator to go down one deck.

 

The quick method was to open the "crew only" door next to my cabin and walk two feet.

On the R-class ships I'd often see the entertainment staff go out to the Promenade Deck to quickly get from one end to the other. That said, on the R-class ships there's never a long walk but I think they'd do this when in a hurry to avoid getting stopped by passengers to chat.

 

And yes, I've often wondered on the other ships how I'd see a staff member reappear so quickly a long ways from where I last saw him or her. Use of the M-1 / I-95 corridor is a fast way to get around for them.

[caribill]

26 minutes ago, beg3yrs said:

On the R-class ships I'd often see the entertainment staff go out to the Promenade Deck to quickly get from one end to the other.

 

I often did that on all the Princess ships I have been on, but anyone can do that, not just staff.

[ontheweb]

3 hours ago, beg3yrs said:

On the R-class ships I'd often see the entertainment staff go out to the Promenade Deck to quickly get from one end to the other. That said, on the R-class ships there's never a long walk but I think they'd do this when in a hurry to avoid getting stopped by passengers to chat.

 

Once on the former Ocean Princess while watching an ice carving demonstration, I saw an entertainer sitting down and complimented him. Instead of doing anything to further avoid me, he invited me to sit with him and chat.